Emotional
by LadyMeiLian
Summary: "Did you really think my dreams, my absolute principals, wouldn't change, Touko? After all this time?" FerrisWheelShipping and CheckmateShipping (GrandMasterShipping). Post-BW2. Rated T for mild language.
1. Prologue- The Heroine's Return

_Emotional_

**Prologue - The Heroine's Return**

Cheren crushed a can of lemonade in his hand, sighing. Tossing the container into the recycling bin by his side, his hands clenched fistfuls of his silken hair as he bent double in his seat on the bench.

_Touko..._

Cheren snarled and tightened his hold on his hair.

It was a week before her birthday today. How could he forget? His best friend...

"Stop...goddamn...thinking," he groaned, falling on his side and ruthlessly smashing his head against the hard wood of the bench seat.

Cheren's headache increased in intensity. The humid July air in Nimbasa City wasn't helping, either. Cobalt-blue orbs still half-closed, Cheren slogged toward the vending machine nearby, inserted a dollar into the slot, and punched in the letter for another lemonade.

The Aspertia City Gym Leader allowed his eyes to droop. There weren't any challengers in the summer...and besides, he deserved a day off.

The dull _clunk!_ of the can hitting the machine bottom awakened Cheren from his stupor. Sighing, he retired to the bench once again, popping open the lid and chugging half of the tart liquid down in one gulp.

_Touko, please come home...!_

Cheren jumped as his Xtransceiver rang. Carelessly flipping the cover of the device up, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and calmly faced Professor Juniper on the screen.

"Hello, Professor. Can I be of assistance?" he courteously asked.

"No time for pleasantries, Cheren. There's reports of a huge Pokemon rampaging in the Desert Resort. Where are you now?" the Professor asked, a frown replacing her usual sunny smile.

"Nimbasa City. I'll report to the Resort immediately."

"You'd better hurry, Cheren. The ruins might collapse at any time now..."

Cheren snapped his Xtransceiver shut and took out a Pokeball from his belt. Tossing it into the air, a large bird Pokemon erupted from the capsule and flapped its wings once, tossing its head back to reveal extravagant red facial wattles that extended like ribbons to its shoulders.

"Let's go, Unfezant. To the Desert Resort," Cheren commanded wearily, clambering on to his Pokemon's back.

Cawing in response, Cheren's Unfezant launched into the air and swiftly glided to the Desert Resort in the south.

_Huge Pokemon, huh?_ Cheren thought as his Unfezant winged its way through the sky._ It's probably a legendary, since it's large enough to destroy the ruins...but the problem is...what legendary Pokemon is it?_

Cheren jolted forward as a huge burst of blue light erupted from the Desert Resort. "Quick, Unfezant, let's go!"

Squawking, Unfezant hurtled toward the ruins. Tears formed in Cheren's eyes from the pressure as the wind whipped at his cheeks. Swiping them away hurriedly, he leaped off of Unfezant at the front of the ruins, while shooting a jet of reddish plasma to return Unfezant to the Pokeball.

"All right, I'm ready," he murmured to himself, entering the Relic Castle.

He had to steady himself as the ceiling shook from the force of the Pokemon's howls. Sand seeped into the Gym Leader's shoes, and sprinkles of sand entrapped in the ceiling shook down onto Cheren's hair as he descended farther into the castle. He waded through waves of sand that came up to his thighs, narrowly dodging the frantic Pokemon fleeing the castle. As he traveled farther, Cheren had to travel against the shaking walls to prevent himself from falling into multiple quicksand pits.

"Crap, that sounds like..." he mumbled, traveling deeper to get to the heart of the castle. He swept some sand away to clear the passageway to the bottom of the ruins. An inexperienced traveler would have never discovered the entrance.

His blood froze when he heard the roars reverberating inside the ruins, causing the ground to tremble and stone pieces to fall from the ancient ceilings. Swiftly slipping through a narrow passageway, Cheren adroitly made his way to the heart of the castle. His heart pounded in his throat as he looked up to behold Zekrom, the deep black deity Pokemon, rampaging and summoning thunderbolts through the crumbling ruin walls. Its turbine tail glowed bright blue, and it discharged a devastating blast of electricity from its tail into the air, incinerating a hole in the ceiling big enough for it to fit through.

Coughing as sand entered his mouth, he raised an arm to protect his face from the whirlwind of heat and soil particles that gusted out from Zekrom's frenzy. As he expelled the last of the sand from his throat, Cheren screamed so Zekrom could hear him.

_"Zekrom!"_

The gargantuan Pokemon reduced its awesome screams to snarls of barely suppressed fury.

"Hraaahgh..."

Cheren swallowed as he met the Pokemon's furious gaze. "Zekrom, please remain calm. What happened to make you so aggravated?"

Zekrom bellowed at the sky, impatiently stepping to the side. A crumpled figure was curled on a carefully-cleared patch of tiles.

Cheren stepped forward. "Touko?" he whispered, slowly drawing closer.

He flinched as Zekrom flapped its wing-like appendages and rumbled ominously, shielding Touko with a careful guardedness.

Cheren met Zekrom's fierce scarlet gaze once more. "Thank you for getting Touko here safely, Zekrom, but you don't have to see her suffer any longer. I promise she'll come to no harm while I'm here. Please...trust me to help your trainer."

Zekrom's eyes lost their cold glare, and it uttered a soft growl as it shifted its massive body to allow Cheren to Touko's petite figure. Cheren immediately rushed to Touko's side and recoiled at what he saw.

Touko's skin was a pallid grey, and cold to the touch. Her clothes were in tatters, and multiple bloody gashes covered her entire figure. A large pool of blood was gathered around her right leg, which was still growing larger as the crimson liquid from the largest wound bled freely. She weighed no more than an underfed Herdier, noted Cheren, as he slung Touko over his shoulder, with the upper half of her body facing the opposite direction that he was walking in.

"Zekrom."

The legendary Pokemon snorted, waiting for Cheren to continue.

"Could you please get us out of the Relic Castle? I'm sorry, but you'll have to stay in the Desert Resort once you get us out, because it'd cause an uproar in Nimbasa City if anybody caught sight of you."

In response, the dragon took off, its claws gouging the soft sand. Zekrom soared toward the open hole in the ceiling, circled in the sky once, then dove at a frightening speed and hoisted Cheren into the air. Cheren's clothes tore from Zekrom's front claws, and he gritted his teeth in pain as one of the deity's talons poked him on the bare back, drawing blood.

After gliding for a few minutes, the dragon deposited Cheren and Touko at the entrance of the Desert Resort.

"Thank you, Zekrom. I'll come find you here once Touko has recovered," said Cheren, raising an arm in farewell.

Zekrom rumbled in response, taking off and further fouling Cheren's shirt with gusts of sand.

"Oh, Touko...what in the world happened to you?" whispered Cheren, cradling her head in one arm while calling out his Unfezant once again.

* * *

**.~*Please review! I need all the help I can get if I want to edit it. Criticism is welcomed. [Later chapters will be considerably longer than the prologue*~.**

**.~*Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.*~.**


	2. Chapter 1 - Reconciliation

**Chapter 1: Reconciliation**

A/N: Gosh, it's been a long time since I've updated! I was debating on how to start this chapter. A half-chapter was located in Google Docs (which doesn't work in China), and another was stored in my head. I wish I could copy-paste or something instead of writing directly here, but Microsoft Word is being mean. ._.

To the followers I have right now...thank you so much! I was so surprised when I got the notifications for reviews and Story Alert subscriptions ;_; I love you guys! (farfetched4, TheZettaFactor, xSatomi, tilDEATH101, and Fated-Dusk in particular! :) )

Commencing Chapter 1!

* * *

Touko's eyes fluttered open as the oppressing darkness of sleep slowly receded from her mind.

She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the bright morning light shining in through the windows. Turning her head slightly to the right, she could see a raven-haired male talking to a nurse in a clean, white lab coat.

"There's nothing to worry about, sir. In a day or two she'll be up and about..."

The man inclined his head, and the nurse spun around and walked away, pulling the door behind her shut.

In brisk strides, the man walked over to Touko's cot and pulled up a chair at the side.

"So...how are you feeling?"

Touko grimaced at the foul taste in her mouth. "I'm all right," she croaked. Peering up at the stranger with curiosity, she continued to ask, "Not to be rude, or anything, but...who are you?"

The man smiled. "Hey, you don't recognize your old friend?"

Touko's heart skipped a beat as she registered the facial features of her childhood companion.

"...Cheren?"

Touko gaped at her friend, at a loss for words. Over the course of two years, puberty seemed to have blessed him. His voice had grown considerably deeper, his shoulders had broadened, and - how to describe it? - he looked like a man now, rather than a scrawny teenager.

He smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "You don't look much different."

"Well, you look a lot different than before. Why are you even here?"

His grin faded. "Well, you arrived here on Zekrom's back, unconscious, with a huge gash on your left leg that was practically draining you of all of your blood. My question is, what happened to _you?_"

Touko stared at Cheren incredulously. "That's impossible. Where..."

"You're in Nimbasa City's hospital right now. Don't you remember anything?"

Touko shook her head, trying to recall the moments before the sudden period of darkness. "Did...something happen to Zekrom?"

Cheren leaned forward, eyebrows creased in concentration. "So, you remember some?"

Touko shook her head. "I can't remember anything else, other than that Zekrom was in the problem somehow. My head feels...fuzzy."

"That's to be expected, after that massive injury. Don't strain yourself too much, all right?"

Touko huffed in bemusement. What had happened to her? She vaguely remembered a strange white Pokemon...huge pressure on her chest and legs...and the memory of crumbling rock...

"I think it was a landslide."

Cheren blinked. "Hm?"

"I'm pretty sure I was caught in a landslide. I remember falling boulders."

"I guess that could explain the gash in your leg. Luckily Zekrom came to save you, or else you probably would've perished from blood loss in...where?"

"I think it was...somewhere in Mt. Coronet. It's located in the Sinnoh region. Speaking of Zekrom, do you know where he is right now?"

"He should be in the Desert Resort at the moment. Don't worry; we can go search for him after you've recovered. Just be sure to get some rest right now."

Touko winced as she massaged her left leg gingerly. "I should be glad I'm not dead, but...I really hate having to deal with a leg injury."

Cheren grinned sheepishly. "I guess it's kind of selfish for me, but...I'm just glad that you're finally back."

"It would've been nice to arrive without being hospitalized." Touko stretched out her limbs, wincing at the sudden pain that spread throughout her tired muscles.

Before Cheren could reply, the door burst open, and a small, blonde woman flew inside the room and promptly smothered Touko with a hug.

_"Toooooouuukooooo!"_

"B-Bianca?!"

The young woman burst into tears, squeezing Touko until the brunette gasped for air.

"_I missed you so much!_ It was _sooo_ boring in Unova without you, and you left so suddenly, and you didn't come back for _years_ and I thought you'd _died_, and...and..."

Cheren tapped Bianca's shoulder lightly. "Um...Bianca...you shouldn't-"

He was interrupted once more when the door opened again. In stepped a slender, tall woman, with brown wavy hair held back by a blue headband. When she caught sight of Touko, she held a hand to her mouth and leaned against the door frame to steady herself.

Touko's heart caught in her throat.

"Mom?"

Cheren and Bianca simultaneously stepped backward as Touko's mother rushed to her child. Closer up, Touko could see worry lines etched into her mother's forehead. Her hair had also acquired streaks of grey, and there were signs of wrinkles developing on her pale, lovely skin.

"Touko, my baby! Oh, I've been so worried about you!"

Touko relished the gentle touch of her mother's embrace. It had been so long since she had been able to hug her own mother, to talk to her face-to-face, to see the joyous smile that raised the corners of her lips. She never noticed when she was on her journey, but Touko had actually missed her mother terribly for the past two years.

Bianca continued to babble at Touko's side. "Once we get you out of here, we've gotta take you to Nimbasa City! It's still as exciting as ever, and afterwards, Cheren and I are-"

"Hush, Bianca," hissed Cheren. "Not here, and certainly not now."

Touko felt the cold in Cheren's voice freeze the entire room like a Cryogonal's Blizzard attack. Touko's mother looked at her daughter with wide eyes, mouth slightly agape in apprehension.

Bianca finished her sentence with a squeak. "We're...gonna take you to Join Avenue nearby! How does that sound?"

Touko's eyebrows knitted together, trying to decipher the hidden code in the conversation. "Sure..."

"Haha! All right! Let's go, Cheren! We've gotta let Touko get some rest before she leaves tomorrow!"

In a flash, Bianca grabbed Cheren's arm and dragged him outside of the hospital room, slamming the door shut. The room seemed strangely empty without them; the air was now tinged with the scent of antiseptics and freshly-laundered bedsheets.

Touko's mother stood up. "I'll go too, dear. Get some rest, okay?"

"Okay, Mom. I'll see you tomorrow."

She winked. "You'll see why tomorrow's so important, sweetie. Let's hope you don't remember before it happens!"

She glided out of the room as smoothly as a Swanna on water, gently closing the door behind her.

Touko settled back into her lumpy hospital cot, staring bemusedly at the blank walls. She groaned when she reached for the remote controller for the television, gritting her teeth through the pain in her leg. The controller clattered to the ground.

Touko was just about to give up all her hopes of finding any kind of entertainment while she was in her confinement, when a sudden flash of color entered her range of vision.

She barely had time to take in a light pink, purple floral-patterned Pokemon before it latched onto her head. Without warning, the Pokemon let out a cry and disappeared in a flash of light. Touko felt her neck being stretched, then her spine, and finally her legs, as she was Teleported along with the pink Pokemon.

The sensation of teleportation was completely new to Touko. It felt as if her body was contracting and expanding endlessly, while at the same time zipping though Nimbasa City's fastest roller coaster. She feared opening her mouth for fear of vomiting. As soon as the blurred images around her started to focus, the strange sensation finally stopped, sending Touko flying ahead as momentum carried her forward.

Touko landed on a gritty, rough surface, ripping off skin from her hands as she tried to slow her fall. The surrounding area was dark and strangely dry. She saw a blue light in the distance, in the shape of a large, hexagonal crystal. She focused on the light as her vision adjusted.

Her first thought was to find the Pokemon, but the pain in her left thigh rendered her almost completely immobile. Grunting, she placed her bleeding hands on the ground and heaved herself up, supporting herself by using the rough surface of the wall to her right. As she grew completely accustomed to the strange darkness, she could see the pink Pokemon bobbing toward her.

"Munna!" Touko yelled, her voice echoing throughout the cave.

The small Pokemon drifted toward Touko happily, latching onto her large bushy ponytail and bobbing precariously on the top of her hair.

"What did you bring me here for?! I'm supposed to be at the hospital! And thanks to you, I've practically shredded my hands from falling on the ground!"

"Naaa...!"

Touko frowned as the Pokemon floated around in the darkness. She had met the thing at the Dreamyard, and it refused to leave her even after she left Striaton City. It had rejected Touko's request to join her team, and only met up with the Pokemon Trainer once every month or so. It had proved to be fantastically stubborn, carefree, and playful, and never missed a chance to bother Touko to no end.

"Honestly..." Touko muttered, staggering up to her feet.

Now that she could see clearly, she identified the vicinity as Chargestone Cave. The glowing blue crystals tingled with electricity. She saw a few Joltik skittering around on the ground, as well as the occasional Ferroseed latched onto the wall.

"Why am I here?" Touko said to herself, limping along the path.

_"Touko."_

Her head shot up, and she looked around wildly for the source of the sound. That voice...that unmistakable, unforgettable voice...where did it come from?

Her vision focused on a tall, shadowy figure only about 20 meters away. It was coming toward her, with hesitant, soft steps. With each footfall, Touko could hear the soft chinking of metal against metal. As the figure drew closer, Touko could just make out the soft grey eyes, the unruly green hair, the pale skin tinged blue from the glow of the electric crystals.

It was N.

"I can't believe it...you finally came back."

Touko choked back a sob. "Me? Come back to Unova? I searched _everywhere_ for you, and all this time, you were _here?"_

N smiled and spread his arms. "The world is round... I knew if I returned here, we would surely meet again."

Touko's legs crumpled beneath her, and she sank to the ground. N...the former King of Team Plasma, the Hero of Truth, the man who had set off on a journey two years ago to pursue his ideals...

It was too much.

N crouched down beside her. "Touko, I must tell you something. Th-"

_Bam._

N staggered back, reeling from the heavy blow that Touko had dealt to his cheek. His face possessed such a comical expression of disbelief and pain that Touko wanted to laugh.

"N, you bastard..." Touko muttered, trying in vain to stand up.

The green-haired male rubbed his face gingerly. "What made you think I deserved that? An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind..."

"Not in my world, N. You're lucky my leg's injured, or else I would have kicked you, and that would've hurt a lot more."

He frowned at her. "I shouldn't have asked Munna to come transport you here if I knew you were going to act like this. I actually needed to tell you something."

Touko raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? And what would that be?"

"I heard Zekrom's voice in the Desert Resort. It's growing fainter, but I can still hear him."

Touko's eyes widened. "What?"

"He's in great pain, but I don't think we can do anything about it. It's only a hunch, but I would hazard a guess that Zekrom is reverting back to its dormant state in an attempt to protect itself."

Touko struggled to her feet. Munna returned from the depths of the cave, using its four stubby feet to cling to Touko's shoulder.

N stared at her disinterestedly. "And what, exactly, are you planning to do?"

"I'm going to go see what's wrong with Zekrom, obviously! What else do you think I would do?"

"It's impossible to help your friend. Of that I am certain. Even if you Teleported with Munna, you wouldn't be able to make it in time. His voice is already growing faint."

Touko clenched her fists, then winced as her injured hands smarted from the contact. Munna nudged her head with its soft, squishy body, blinking at Touko innocently.

N stared into the distance, his eyebrows knitting together. He bit his lower lip, frowning, straining to find even a trace of Zekrom's voice.

He suddenly lurched, startling Touko. He met her frantic gaze with hopeless eyes. "He's gone."

Touko's eyes widened. "Gone?"

"He's in his dormant state..."

Touko swore, elbowing the cave wall in anger. Her own trusted partner, the loyal Pokemon that had carried her all the way from Sinnoh to Unova, was locked into the form of a stone again, fending off an unknown source of great pain. She cursed herself for being so helpless, for neglecting to do anything to try to save Zekrom.

N shook his head at the other Pokemon Trainer. "You shouldn't worry about him, Touko. That's the last thing your friend would want, after all. You've added even more injuries to your list of existent ones, and you shouldn't strain yourself when you're recovering."

Touko stared at the ground, pensive. "When...when can I see you again?"

N shrugged. "It depends. Either way, I'll be visiting you soon enough. You've done enough chasing. I'll come and find you."

Touko didn't hear N tell Munna to use Teleport. But the next thing she knew, she was lying on her hospital cot again, staring at the blank wall, as if she had just awakened from sleep.

She would have sworn that the incident was just a dream, if it weren't for the white, sterile bandages that were wrapped around her hands and her right elbow.

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~So sorry to have kept you guys waiting! Chapter 1 is finally out. Please feel free to bash me all you want; I need a lot of constructive criticism if I want to make this story better. Please continue to review, follow, and favorite if possible! Thank you, everyone!

.~***LadyMeiLian***~.


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